Cops and Robbers
by Addictedtobooks
Summary: 1940 AU; Officer West has been tasked with catching the well known gang leader, Cheshire, and later her father, Sportsmaster. After messing up one too many times, his boss and friend, Dick Grayson, partners him with the new kid - Artemis Crock, a girl who's proved she has what it takes to join the man's world of cop and robbers.


"Well," her snarky voice rang loud as the girl held her cuffed hands out, "looks like you caught me, officer." The smirk that pulled at her bright red lips made the young man's eyes narrow in suspicion. She was taking this far too easily.

"What's your game, beautiful?"

She waggled her dark eyebrows as she leant back in her chair and crossed her long, lean legs. "Beautiful? Officer, you know you got to buy a lady a drink first, don't you?"

He sat forwards, elbows placed onto the desk that sat between him and the convict. The way she kept using his title bothered him, angered him, but he didn't let it show, "Your game." he demanded, watching as her smirk only grew.

"Don't worry, officer," the dark haired girl cooed. "It won't involve you... Much."

Her words confused him but before he could even attempt to make sense of them the window beside them shattered, the bars on the outside ripped clean off.

"What the-" He began to yell before he felt one of her solid boots make contact with his chest. He was knocked flat on the ground, the desk being pushed onto its side to pin him down momentarily.

He now had a front row seat to watch as the fugitive whirled to see her rescuer. "It had to be you, huh?" she called out, her snake like voice hissing around the small room.

The blonde haired man who jumped into the broken window scoffed loudly, "Beggars can't be choosers, doll face."

"At least you're not late."

"No!" Wally yelled as he witnessed the pair leave again through the window.

"Oh, don't fret," the girl said, now perching on the sill of the window, "I'll take a rain cheque on our drinks."

With that and an added wink she disappeared. Wally's only chance of a promotion went out of that third story window. Literally.

"Let me get this straight," Wally's boss, Dick Grayson, said firmly, "you allowed a wanted thief and assassin escape out the window with a supposed gang leader? West, how in God's name do you manage these things?"

The redhead sighed, following Dick as he walked around the station. "Grayson, I was pinned to the-"

"So you say, but it was still a rookie mistake." He cut him off for the umpteenth time that day. "So to learn from that mistake you're on probation. You'll be partnered with one of the newbies."

Wally's jaw dropped, his pride falling quickly in suit, "No way, Grayson. Now way in Hell. I work alone. I've got no need for a partner."

"Sorry, kid, but since you let that kitty Cheshire go... you are on probation." He explained, dragging each of his last four words out, as though he were spelling it out to a child.

Grumbling came from the other young man, "You've got to be kidding me. Look, I don't need no little boy running around my feet while I'm trying to catch crooks and chumps."

The smirk that rose on his leader's face made Wally suddenly feel very uneasy, "It's no little boy, trust me," Dick said simply, rounding the corner into where the main offices were held.

"Then who the Hell - Oh." There, at _his_ desk, going through _his_ case files, was a young blonde girl. Wally was certain he had never seen her before as he quickly took in her appearance; black hat over a blonde ponytail, green button-up blouse, straight black dress pants, and matching leather shoes. This girl was out to impress.

"West, this is Miss Crock, your new partner." Grayson said, his smirk never leaving his lips. "Artemis, this is officer Wally West."

The blonde's head rose to reveal storm coloured eyes, "Pleasure." she said politely.

Wally raised his eyebrows at her and turned back to the raven-haired man next to him, "I repeat, you're kidding right?"

"Not in the slightest."

"You expect me to work with a girl?" He asked, wide eyed. He didn't want to work with anyone, let alone the young girl next to him.

Her arms folded across her chest as her grey eyes narrowed, "I prefer woman considering my age," she snapped, only making their boss laugh.

"I believe the two of you are getting along all ready." Both of the workers next to him turned to glare at their boss. "Today you two are on desk duty. West, I expect all of those case files to be done and filled out by the end of the day. _Including_ the one on Cheshire!" Dick told the two as he began to walk away, calling back to them before disappearing around the corner once more.

Wally groaned a bit, his glare now aimed at the papers on his desk. "Great." He groaned, sitting and pointing to a chair that his new partner could use. As soon as she pulled it over her questions began to spew out.

"So, you caught Cheshire?" She asked. It was clear she had practised talking to people; she had nailed that perfect polite yet cold as ice tone. It made him sick to think she could speak like that so easily.

He felt his fist clench a little at the question, but he refused to allow her to catch on that the topic bothered him. He was sure she hadn't meant it as a jab to his pride, "Not quite," he answered, pretending to be more interested in the files in front of him. His reply had clearly snagged her attention though.

"Well, what's that supposed to mean?" She demanded, dark eyebrows cocked high on her forehead. He ignored the question for a minute as he flipped through paper after paper. He didn't even bother reading what any of them had to say.

"She escaped." He said, and he could not help but to notice the way she relaxed - just slightly - at the words. "What's it to _you_, anyway?"

The blonde scoffed, becoming tense again quickly, making him almost believe he had imagined her sense of relief. "That woman is a menace and needs to be stopped." She told him easily, shrugging. "It just would have made for an interesting story had someone caught her. Even more interesting now since she got away, I suppose." The last part was mumbled, followed by her short, quiet laugh, and he suspected that this _was_ meant as a jab at him.

He narrowed his eyes slightly at the girl whose own eyes were trained to the papers ahead of her. _Who are you?_ Wally wanted to ask, to shout at her, but he stayed collected. He was a law enforcer - he could keep calm, couldn't he? Rather than yelling at her, he observed. She could read, that was certain as her eyes scanned through the files, and her hands were calloused - a sure sign that she'd worked before. Which got the boy wondering.

"This your first job?" He questioned casually, doing his best to cure his curiosity and still fill the awkward silence between them. Unfortunately she did not seem like the type for small talk any longer.

"No."

"No?" Wally mumbled, although he had already knew that. "What were you before then? A nurse?"

She turned those storms of grey on him and scowled, "I was a journalist."

Before he could register what was happening, he heard a small laugh escape his parted lips. "How classy. Quite the switch there, ain't it?"

Her glaring grey eyes were now focused on him, sharp and cold. Her small shoulders shrugged, eyes turning back to the files in front of her, "The work was boring, I needed some action." She told him simply, her hopes set too high that that would be the end of the conversation.

Another laugh left his mouth, "Well, Miss Crock," he started, voice being fueled by his sarcasm, "I will bet you a handsome sum of money that you'll be out of here in a week's time."

Artemis' hands gripped the paper harder, nails marking the pages, a new sense of determination was settling over the blonde. "We'll see."

"So, how's the new partner?"

Wally glared at the younger man standing next to him, "I cannot believe you. She's... infuriating to say the least." He told Dick as the two walked towards the small pub a block away from work. A smirk rose onto his boss' face.

"C'mon, Wally, you'll get used to her. Anyways, it should only be for a month or two. So you can learn your lesson, and the girl can get on her feet. It's a tough job, especially for a girl trying to make a big break," He spouted, opening the door and stepping into the dark and musty building. The pub was trash, but it had the best drinks in town. Plus, the service wasn't so bad either. Wally wasn't the biggest of fans, but Dick enjoyed going there.

The redhead rolled his eyes as he followed his fellow cop inside, "Two months? You know I hate working with partners."

"I know, but as your boss - as well as your best friend - I thought it would do you some good. You know, work on those social skills a bit."

Wally scoffed, taking up his normal stool at the bar, "I am perfectly social." He muttered, turning to the dark haired girl behind the counter, "Hey, beautiful, you have our scotch ready?" He asked, a charming and polite grin on his face.

The girl rolled her eyes, but a smirk came upon her face, "Would I dare not have 'em ready? Here you boys go." She spoke as she produced two shot glasses and slid them across the counter. "Holler if you boys need me."

"Thanks, Zee," Dick called, giving a nonchalant smile to the girl before she wandered off down to other customers.

Wally scoffed, "You still like her."

"Don't make me extend your probation period, West."

"Don't deny it, you like her!"

"What was that? You wanna work with Miss Crock for the rest of the year?" Dick asked sarcastically, downing the shot before turning to glare at his friend.

"Who's Zatanna?"

The smirk returned to the young man's face, "That's what I thought. In all seriousness, give the gal a chance."

Wally's lip curled up, appearing as though he had smelt something putrid. "Why though? All she does is sit there and nag nag nag. She's going to be Hell to bring on patrol."

"Whatever you say."

"Will you please stop lookin' like that?" Wally hissed at him, nudging him with his elbow slightly.

Dick's smirk only intensified though, "Like what?"

"Like you're planning our wedding or something. We're strictly work partners."

"Now was that your rule, or hers?"

Green eyes narrowed again as Wally glared, "Piss off, Grayson."

"Ah, her rule." He chuckled, leaning back as he looked at the young man next to him, "So, d'you think Artemis would want a green and grey color scheme, or silver and white?"

Wally left then, deciding to get up and walk away from the cruel jokester. His friend's laughter was trailing out the pub door as he stormed out.

Wally had known he was late from the moment he woke up. The sun, too bright on his face, had finally awoken him. He hardly thought anything of it, though, until those slits of greys were chastising him.

"You're late, West." The icy voice came from the fuming blonde, her eyes flinging daggers at him.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." He grumbled, tossing his work case onto the desk before reaching to grab his badge. "I woke up late."

"Some innocent person could have kicked the can by now, but alas you wouldn't have been able to save them 'cause Sleeping Beauty slept in."

"Grayson in yet?" He asked, returning her slicing look and ignoring her stabs.

The girl nodded, slipping off the desk where she had been seated and turned to face him, "he says being late on your first day of probation does _not_ make a good impression. I agreed, of course."

Wally stopped to glare at her momentarily before rummaging through his desk, "Well you can tell Grayson that he can-"

"Can what, West?" the new voice made the redhead jump and almost close his hand in the drawer. How was it his friend popped in at the worst of times?

"Can go for a lovely walk." He grumbled, only making his boss' smirk appear.

"I am sure that is exactly what you were going to say," the darker haired man spoke sarcastically. Afterwards he raised his hand to reveal a set of keys to his friend, "Take these. You're taking Kaldur's vehicle today."

Frowning, Wally slowly took the keys, "Why? Where's Kaldur?" He asked. This had to be a joke. He was hardly ever allowed to use the cars.

"He's on... another job."

The blonde, who had been silent till those point, folded her arms over her chest, eyebrows shooting up onto her forehead, "How mysterious sounding."

Dick laughed shortly at the comment, "that was the point, Sweetheart."

"Miss Crock." She corrected without missing a beat.

"My apologies - Miss Crock." he repeated back, the hint of a smile on his lips. "Anyways, you don't need to know the details of Kaldur's job. Especially now that the two of you have one of your own."

"We do?" Wally asked. That explained the keys and the car, but he had suspected that he would have been shot down to desk duty for most of his probation. Apparently he had guessed wrong.

"You do," Grayson confirmed, tossing the keys before he began to move away. "Walk with me." Without even checking behind him to see if the two were following he moved around the corner towards his office.

Wally followed right away, knowing how Dick was, but saw Artemis' eyes narrow once more, "You comin', blondie?"

Her glare now turned to him, the new norm in his life, "Artemis," she growled, speeding ahead of him to their now snickering boss.

He managed to compose himself before either employee was able to hear his chuckling. "Cheshire was spotted again. Downtown, Gotham City Bank. No word over radio yet, but the anonymous tip seemed pretty certain it was her. Small frame, black hair and a fetish for green attire," Although Wally had a small laughed at the last part, Dick had become completely serious. "Our tip says she was unmasked, which was what made us unsure. But I want that cat gone, West... and Crock. Pronto. So I am sending the two of you down in the black car for a _covert_," He stressed, eyes snapping towards his friend, "stake out. I want to make sure this is her before we move. If it is, I have faith you will not let her go a second time. Got it? Perfect." He said, arriving to his office.

"Pinned by a table!" Wally shouted as the office door slammed shut.

Artemis' glare had slowly transformed into a smirk somewhere along Dick's speech, "Pinned by a table?"

"It doesn't matter. Let's go." He grumbled miserably, making his way back to his desk. He quickly found his gun and strapped it to his hip, hiding it beneath his overcoat. He noticed her grab something but didn't think much on it, it was probably just a gun of her own, "You ready?"

"As ever."

"Then let's go." he said, making his way outside.

The two were silent for awhile, walking along the sunlit sidewalk towards the station's parking lot. As they continued down the street, Wally took notice of something on the blonde's back, "Is that..." he started, brow furrowing as he tried to inspect the item.

"A quiver?" she finally filled in, moving her ponytail to allow him a clearer view. "Yes, and fully equipped with only the best arrows."

"Why in God's name do you need a quiver of arrows?"

Artemis scoffed, "Grayson never told ya?" He shook his head. "I don't use guns."

Wally's jaw dropped, unsure if she was serious or not, "So you use a arrows?"

"Yes, with a bow," she answered matter-of-factly.

_You have got to be kidding me, _Wally thought as he snickered and shook his head. "Little out of date aren't you?"

"What do you mean?" She asked, stepping into the lot as the two made their way to Kaldur's car.

"Well, y'know," he said, glancing at her from the corner of his eye, "Bow and arrows were popular a century or two ago. Don't'cha think it's time for an update?"

Instead of a proper answer, he received another of her sneers. He was starting to think they, along with her smirks and scoffs, were a habit of hers, "So a girl wants to be creative. Sue me."

Wally felt his eyebrows jump high towards his hat, but said nothing, eyes trailing back to the pavement ahead of the pair. The awkward silence grew again between them, and was far more apparent this time. "So," he finally spouted out, shoving one of the keys into the car door's lock, "where is this _bow_ of yours?" He asked, clearly still unwilling to believe her.

"Here," She said, raising her hand above the car so he could see what he had considered to be a purse earlier. "It's compacted," she explained once she saw his confused look.

Shaking his head at her he slid into the car. "Ridiculous," he informed her after unlocking her door and pushing it open.

"Practical." She challenged as she slipped into the car, staring ahead as he sat there with an open mouth.

Without another word, he started the car and pulled out to the road. _Ridiculous. _

"We've been sittin' here forever," Artemis growled, her eyes wide open as she continued to survey the bank and it's streets ahead of them.

All she received as a response was a low grumble. Turning her head, she saw that her partner had closed his eyes and was leaning against the window. She shook her head and smacked his shoulder, far harder than he imagined possible. "What?!" He asked with a yell, jumping and rubbing what he assumed was now a red mark on his shoulder.

"You were drooling," she snapped, facing the front windshield again.

Wally tipped his hat low on his face and gave another grumble, "I was trying to get some shut eye."

"Are you kidding me?" The blonde asked quickly. Her nerves were short as it was and over three hours in a car with him did not seem to be helping. "You said you slept in."

"I did, doesn't mean I ain't still tired."

"You are ridiculous."

His grin shone under his hat, "I'm practical." That got him one of her glares, making him chuckle. "You are too easy, doll face."

"What is it with you people?" She demanded suddenly.

He poked his hat off his eyes to raise his eyebrows at her. "What d'ya mean?"

"Why can't any of you boys just call me by my name? It's always beautiful, or sweetheart, or doll - I wanna know why."

"It's easier." He shrugged, frowning.

She scoffed, and whipped around to face him, "How's that any easier than Artemis, or Miss Crock? Or even just Crock? No, it's always pet names with you boys. Always. That's all women get."

Wally laughed shortly, "It just seems to be the way it is. No one's fault, just habit." She didn't say anything, glaring ahead at the building in front of them once more.

The two sat in silence after that. When it became clear she was not going to press the topic further Wally leaned against the window, falling asleep once more. She however was determined to be more productive than that and slowly got out of the car, careful to not wake him.

She could do this on her own. It wasn't like she needed a bodyguard, a man to protect her; she was strong. Even if Grayson thought she needed a leg up in this job. She could prove him wrong. Walking along the sidewalk she shot a glance back to the car she had left. He was another problem; West. Rude, inconsiderate, and obviously believed she didn't need this job. But she needed it more than he would ever know.

Once she got closer to the bank she stopped, propping herself against the wall and watching as the people passed by and went in and out of the main doors. That's when the idea struck her. She quickly made her way back to the car and pounded on the driver side window, "Rise and shine, West."

She watched as he flew out of his seat and stared at her in pure terror, shouting incomprehensibly. He opened his door to yell at her, "What in God's name are you-"

"Shut it and listen," she cut him off, making his eyebrows cock high on his head, "We've been sitting out here all day, but what if she was already inside?"

A frown settled into his features as he mulled over the idea, "It's possible, but exactly how would you like to check?"

"You're a cop, West, no one is going to question you if you walk into a bank. Say it's a... routine check or something."

"Are you serious?"

"Very." she claimed while folding her arms over her chest.

He glared up at her, not pleased she had ruined his nap, but he opened his door and stepped out. "Fine." he snarled, slamming the door and following her back to the main doors of the bank. "Ladies first."

"What a gentleman," she mumbled sarcastically, stepping into the lobby and looking around. "You see her anywhere?"

"No, but that doesn't mean anything," he said quietly, glance trailing around the room.

The two moved around slowly until Artemis stopped, her eyes narrowing calculatingly as she took in the woman in front of her. "Is that her?" she asked, as Wally's gaze caught up with hers.

"Very possible." The girl behind the till seemed to be about the right size, and had the right colour hair, but she was turned away from them. "Excuse me," Wally called out, walking forward as he got brave.

"Yes?" She questioned, face not lifting from the papers below her.

"I think I'd like to cash in that rain cheque." The grin the cop received gave him all the evidence he needed, and she was moving. "Go!" he shouted at Artemis, seeing that she was standing like a frightened deer.

Cheshire was fast. In the moment it took for Wally to yell at his partner, she was halfway around the room. She wasn't the only one moving either. Once the crowd and workers picked up on something being wrong they went into a frenzy. All the redheaded man cared about though was that stupid grinning cat mask the assassin had slipped on.

"Everyone stay calm!" Artemis yelled as her partner did the complete opposite. He was darting across the room, racing towards the back door in attempts to beat Cheshire. "West, get down!" the archer called. He spun in time to see her notch an arrow to her bow and watched as she shot towards the villain. The arrow lodged itself neatly into the shoulder pad of the girl's shirt, pinning her to the wall.

A grin returned to his face, "Not bad," he said as he made his way to the trapped feline. "You have been one pain in my ass, beautiful." He told her, taking hold of her chin before ripping her mask off.

"Supposedly that's part of the job description," She taunted before her knee came up and made contact with his stomach. He swore loudly, keeling over as her elbow swiftly and smoothly moved to thud onto his head, her foot following and pushing his unconscious body out of the way. "Sorry about that, I hope it doesn't affect our drink date," she cooed, pulling the arrow out and dodging the next one. "Well, well, well," she grinned at seeing just where the arrows had come from, "What a reunion."

"Don't. Move." Artemis jeered, an arrow aimed at the girl who stared straight at her.

The grin slowly turned into a laugh as the darker haired girl took a step closer, her toe nudging the cop below her, "Or what? You'll shoot another arrow at me? Please, you should know as well as anyone that I can move faster than that."

The blonde watched as her partner slowly came to. She knew she had to end this soon. "Try me."

"Oh, a challenge? I accept." The snarky voice rang clear in Wally's ears, but his vision was still blurred as he sat up. "Let's see who wins this time."

_This time?_ Wally knew he could not be hearing right. He waited another minute until his head fully cleared and he was able to stand. "This is over, Cheshire. Now."

"But I was just getting started," She told him with a fake pout. The sad expression was not on her face long, though; as soon as she finished speaking the corners of her red lips pulled into a large grin. Before Wally or Artemis could react properly she was through the back door, the two cops bolting after her.

"Where'd she go?!" Wally yelled, turning to Artemis after he finished scanning the back parking lot. "There's no way she could have gone far."

The blonde's eyes were narrowed calculatingly as she finally spotted something, "This way." she called, running after what had looked like the villain.

As they rounded the corner, the blonde came to a halt, her greys eyes widening as they darted around. It was Wally's turn this time to catch sight of the other girl, "Over here, blondie!" He said as he darted to the left after the assassin. The chase wasn't long until they had lost her again. "Damn it!" He yelled, looking around as he saw where Cheshire had led them: an ally.

"Up here, sugar!" The girl yelled from the roof of one of the buildings, "I'm so sorry I have to hold off on that rain check. Have fun, by the way!" She cheered, hand waving as she disappeared from sight.

Artemis frowned, turning to her partner, "Have fun? What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing good," Wally grumbled, watching as a few doors opened into the alley. "Fantastic." He sneered as a couple of masked thugs walked out of the three opened doors. "Six to two, really boys?" He called out.

"Any of them look armed to you?" The blonde asked under her breath as she notched an arrow to her bow slowly.

Taking another glance around to check, Wally shook his head, "Doesn't look like it."

"Then let's move," she growled, "three each." With that she was gone, shooting arrow after arrow, pinning each shoulder and each leg of the men in front of her. Her three were done in minutes.

As for Wally, it took him a few more minutes, since he only had his bare hands. While he his guns were with him he didn't want to waste the bullets if he could manage. It was better to capture than kill the ruffians. With a little more help from Artemis, all of the men ended up pinned to the wall or cuffed.

"That was far too easy..." The blonde mumbled, eyes narrowing as she turned to the doors the 'baddies' had come from.

Wally scoffed, his own eyes searching the rooftops above, "It was only meant as a distraction." Sighing, he turned his attention to the men they had managed to get. "I'll radio Grayson, see what we can do to get this guys back in and behind bars." He grumbled, making sure his partner had everything under control before he walked back out of the alley and back to the car.

"Grayson?" He called into the radio after fiddling with the dials.

After some static he could hear Dick, "This had better be good, West."

"No Cheshire, but we did catch six other guys."

"West, how did you manage to catch six criminals in a _covert_ stake out?" He snarled through the radio, before barking orders to someone in his office, "There's a team on the way. I want you and Crock back here pronto." He demanded, static coming over the radio once more.

"Aye aye, Captain," Wally spat under his breath, sauntering back to the ally where he had left the archer.

Her head popped up at the sound of approaching steps and he watched as her dark eyebrows raised, "Well?"

"A team is on their way to help transport these goons to the prison," he explained, gazing around at the buffoons they had caught. "As for us... Grayson demands to see us in his office the second we get back."

"Joy."

"My sentiments exactly," he said, for once agreeing with her and her attitude.

"It's not really fair," she started, eyes trained to the men she had pinned to the wall. The last thing she needed in that moment was for any of them to pry themselves loose. "We were just doing our job; he can't be that angry, can he?

Wally snorted, "Have you _met_ Dick Grayson?"

"Six men. Six men in a covert mission?!" Grayson yelled, standing behind his desk while he stared down the two cops in front of him. "Please explain to me how in God's name that works?"

"Very carefully," the redhead grumbled quietly from his seat.

Sharp blue eyes turned and glared at him, "What was that, West?"

"Nothing," He stammered hurriedly, eyes wide and scared that he had gotten caught.

"What I _think _he was trying to say sir," Artemis started, trying her best to do damage control. "Was that we were only trying to do our job."

Grayson's eyes turned to the now standing blonde, "Explain, Crock. Your job was staying covert unless you spotted Cheshire. As far as I'm aware, no Cheshire."

"We did see her," She said, jumping on the loophole despite Wally's silent pleading for her to stop talking. "She was inside the bank."

"Was she?" He asked, his voice laced with sarcasm as he glared at the glowering man next to her. "That true, West?"

After shooting his partner a sharp look, he nodded, "Yes."

"So she got away again?"

"Yes."

Grayson let out a heavy sigh as he shook his head, "You're losing your touch, West."

"I'm losing my touch!?" He yelled, bolting up right out of his chair. "She's the one that let her go!"

Artemis scoffed, turning to him angrily, "Exactly how did _I_ let her go?"

"Your stupid arrows didn't hold her to the wall!"

"Well at least I tried! What exactly did you do?"

"I could have handled it had it been just me!"

"Really? Because last time I checked you let her go las-"

"Pinned to a table!"

"Enough!" Dick finally yelled, slamming his hand against the desk to regain the two cops' attention, both jumping and turning their heads to look at him. "It does not matter who did what. Or how you could have done differently then. It matters what you are both going to do next time. I want a report, from both of you, on exactly what happened. My desk. Nine o'clock tomorrow morning."

Artemis nodded curtly, "Yes sir," she said, before he dismissed her, and she turned on her heel, shooting a last look at her partner before heading out.

"Really, Wally? Twice in a row?"

The redhead winced as his boss' - his friend's - tone changed. Softened. He was worried about him. "Look, it's her that is the problem. I could have handled today fine - if it was just me." He explained, tapping a finger on the desk between each of his last five words.

"Well," Dick said, slowly sitting back in his chair, "It isn't _just_ you anymore. That's something you're going to have to get used to. Dismissed."

The following day, Wally was on time. His report was handed to Grayson at nine AM, just like it was supposed to be. Everything was as it was supposed to be, except one thing -Artemis was missing.

"Grayson," Wally called, knocking his fist on the open office door to get the attention of his raven-haired friend, "Where's the newbie?"

Standing, Dick tossed him a small file, a case file. "Called in. Family business to take care of. That's your case today. Do not screw it up, West."

"This is the mobster case? We closed this months ago." Wally mumbled, eyebrows furrowing as he squinted at the file, his own writing scrawling it.

Grayson tossed him three other old files. All of which were closed and had to do with past mobs or gangs. "You're missing something. Figure it out," and with that, Wally was pushed dumbfounded out of his office.

After pouring hours and hours into the case files, Wally still came up blank with what he was missing. There was the fact that Cheshire had been involved with every case, but he had known that already, it just wasn't written down in all of them. No, it couldn't be that.

There was something though, something he just could not quite put his finger on.

A few more hours of working through the files still brought nothing up, but he did gain an idea. Getting up from his desk, he made his way to the back room of the station, where they kept all their paperwork. It took him awhile, but after his search was completed he had every single case file that held any mention of Cheshire. He was set on finding the missing piece, even if it took him days.

"So, journalism?"

It was the next day and the two partners had been sent out on another ridiculously boring covert job. Wally was bored and cracking out the questions.

"What about it?" The blonde asked, eyes glued to the windows as she constantly re-examined their surroundings. There was no way Cheshire, or any of her hoodlums, were getting away from them again if Artemis Crock had anything to do with it.

The man next to her shrugged, "What was it like? Boring, hoots of fun, what?"

"Boring. Not that it means diddlysquat to you." She grumbled absently. She really did not have the time for his questions today.

Wally frowned, "No need to be hostile, dol- Miss Crock."

Artemis muttered something incoherently before sitting back and looking at him. "I am not being hostile. I'm doing my job."

"Your _job_ isn't to stare out of a car window all day."

"But it also isn't listening to you talk, or answering your questions all day long, either."

He couldn't help but grin at that, "Touché. Just answer this one though - how'd you get into police work?"

"I already told you," she muttered dryly, "journalism was dead, a little action was needed to spice things up."

A nod came from the man, "Yes, but you never explained _why_ you picked police work specifically. Hell, nursing would have been full of fun."

The blonde sighed, finally turning to face him entirely. Furrowing her eyebrows, and narrowing her eyes, she took the opportunity to search this young man's face. From what she could tell, he was honestly curious. "I needed to get away from something," She said, far more honestly than she ever expected to share with him. She was shocking herself. "Journalism wasn't helping the way it used to. I had wanted to help people, bring a story, the good kind - 'bout the little kid who found their stray puppy, or the parents who had a miracle baby. All the stories that I got assigned to though were usually about one of two things: the economic depression, or the mobsters and their molls. No one wants to deliver those stories, trust me."

He watched as she looked away, clearly calculating in her mind how much more she wanted to tell him.

"So I decided police work was a better suit for me. Even if I am forced to deal with those situations, I'm helping people. Keeping people, innocent people, safe."

Everything around the two was silent for a minute as Wally let the information she shared with him sink in.

"Besides," she suddenly continued, seeming to come out of a daze, "Nurse work isn't as fun. Too much blood and guts if you ask me."

It was silent again before the redhead chuckled, "You, Miss Crock, are something else," he muttered with a slight shake of his head.

"I've heard. I'm one of a kind," she claimed, a smirk twisting her lips before laughing gently herself.

The two sat there for awhile longer, staring out the window and waiting for something to happen. Nothing did. Where Cheshire was, they had no idea. But their directions had been clear, stick around in the car until they spotted her, or it became dark, which ever happened first.

As she sat with her partner, Artemis felt the same boredom as Wally. "Why did you get into police work?" She finally asked in return, her eyes ungluing themselves from the window as she looked over at him.

"My uncle," He answered easily. Short and sweet, no second thought about it. "He's kind of like a mentor to me. The man I've always looked up to."

The blonde's lips turned down, "So he was in police work too?"

"Something like that," Wally confirmed, grinning as he spoke to her.

She could have pestered him to elaborate, could have made him continue about it, but instead she let silence envelop them again. There was something she liked about just sitting there quietly. The silence made things simple.

It must have been hours before finally the sun began to set, and they had hardly spoken a word. "Well," Wally mumbled idly, stretching his limbs like a cat before starting up the old car, "I think it's time we call it a day, no?"

"Actually," the blonde started, opening her own car door instead of staying seated, "I think I might walk."

The man across from her frowned as she stepped out of the car, "You sure about that? Girls go missin' all the time you know, Miss Crock."

"Wallace, we've talked about this."

His frown only deepened, "Talked about what?"

"I prefer woman, considering my age." With that she stepped back, slammed her door, and waved idly before walking away, one hand holding tight to her bow as she shoved the other in her pocket.

Artemis was unsure of how long she walked, but it was not far until the noise began. Quiet at first, and undistinguishable, but still breaking the silence of her footsteps on the cement. She knew what it was immediately, and what it was the noise led to; and even though she knew she shouldn't have gone towards it, that was exactly where her feet decided to take her.

A rally. Whose it was, Artemis had no idea. But she had the distinct feeling that this noise would lead her exactly to the person she was looking for. "Cammie," the blonde yelled when she saw the young man.

A strange, almost white-haired, boy winced at the name, "Must you always call me Cammie, sweets?"

"Must you always call me 'sweets'?"

"Touché," he grumbled, eyes turning to slits as he ran his gaze up and down her figure. "What are you doin' back here, Crock? I thought you left the life, became a cop or something?"

"I did." The blonde agreed easily, taking the drink he had straight from his hand and sipping it nonchalantly.

Clearly, Cameron was not getting the picture, "So, then, why are you here, at a gang party, drinking with your old mob partner?"

"Partner by force," she was quick to counter, handing his drink back, "I'm actually here on business-"

"Artemis, if you plan on arresting anyone in here tonight, your fath-"

"Shut your trap, Mahkent. I'm not here to arrest anyone. I just need Jade."

The boy's face relaxed, an audible breath passing through his lips, "She just went up stairs not all but five minutes ago."

After a quick 'thank you', the blonde was off in search. She needed to talk to Jade, and she needed to do it now.

"Well," A familiar purr like voice sounded as Artemis climbed the stairs, "That didn't take you long at all." And with that familiar voice, came the catlike mask to follow.

"Cheshire," Artemis said easily, looking as bored as ever.

The cat face tilted, puzzling the blonde as she stood there in waiting, "What? No hugs or kisses?"

"Take the mask off, Jade, it's just me."

A small laugh followed that, but the mask was removed, revealing the girl's familiar features, "Well, sister, it is quite surprising to find you back in this part o' town. Change your mind on the whole cop thing?"

"No," the blonde was too quick to answer, fueling her sister's smug smile, "I just came to talk to you."

"Me? Don't I feel special."

Artemis sighed exaggeratedly; her sister was as sarcastic as ever. "I need you to turn yourself in." She said simply, making it sound as if it was something Jade would _want _to do.

"Turn myself in? I don't think so, sweetie," The darker haired girl snapped, straightening up in shock.

Artemis should have seen that coming, her sister would never want to quit the life, not the way she had. The two of them had grown up with the gang life, sure, but Jade had always _fit_ there. There wasn't a place for the younger Crock anymore. "They're getting close, Jade," She tried, especially since she knew it was true. "They aren't dumb, they are catching on to your game."

"It's like I told your new friend," Her sister snarled, the smug look washed from her face, and a strange ferocity taking over instead, "My game won't involve you... much."

Grey eyes narrowed, Artemis shook her head at her sister. "I won't stop them. They'll catch you, one way or another, and Dad is going to get awfully bored having to save you."

"Whatever you say, Sissy," Jade mumbled tiredly, waving away the warnings her sister spouted. "Look, now that we're here, I actually have a bit of uh, favour, to ask of you."

The blonde's head shook almost automatically, "No way," she started, putting her hands up in signal for Jade to stop. "There is no way I am doing you any favors." She had given that life up, left it for this life, and there wasn't anything her family could do to drag her back.

"Come on, Artemis. Think of it as your last hurrah, the job to end that life." Boots clacked against the solid wood floor as her sister circled her, like a vulture waiting to strike.

Artemis' lip curled, "It's not happening."

"Pity, this was your dream job, too." The muttered comment was almost backhanded, as if Jade almost didn't realize she was saying it.

"The Collared Heist?"

A snap rang in the air, as if Cheshire had just made the connection, "That's right."

Dream job was an understatement. Back when Artemis had _wanted_ to join her dad's gang all she ever had hoped for was to be included in the Collared Heist. Big fancy dresses, masquerade masks, glistening jewels to snatch... Nothing better. "When?" She asked, eyes narrowed.

Her sister was cleaning her nails, looking as though she had no care in the world now. This wasn't how Artemis planned the meeting to go. "Tomorrow evening, the main ball room of Gotham's very own Wayne Mansion."

"I'll think about it."

"I need an answer, Artemis," the warning tone in Jade's voice didn't match her bored expression, but the younger sister sensed she was serious.

"Tomorrow morning," she claimed, "I'll have an answer then."

"Tonight, Wayne Mansion. That's where they'll be."

Dick frowned as he listened into the phone, and Wally tapped his fingers on the desk, wishing he could hear what Grayson was hearing, "Tonight?"

"What's tonight?!" The redhead jumped to ask, only to be brushed off by his friend as he leaned farther into the phone.

Another frown settled over Dick's face as he hung up, "The line went dead. Apparently, Sportsmaster and his gang, including Cheshire, are all going to be wandering around Mr. Wayne's mansion tonight, during the masquerade ball."

"They are?" Wally asked, fingers tingling. He had a feeling if they were going to take this job, it would be undercover - and those were his favourite kind of assignments.

A simple nod came from the senior officer. "Yes, but we aren't striking."

"What?!"

"You heard me, Wally," Richard said seriously, lifting his eyes to meet Wally's green ones, "they'll expect us to hit there. Too many bystanders, too many things that could go wrong."

"But there are a lot of things that could go _right!_" Wally pressed. He was not giving this up. He was going to put that crazy cat behind bars, no matter what it took.

Grayson pinched the bridge of his nose. Wally knew his comrade loved undercover work just as much as he did, Dick just needed the extra push. "I'll think about it, West, but after all the assignments going wrong lately..."

"You don't want to disappoint the big man."

"Exactly," he mumbled in agreement, shrugging, "but I _will_ think about it."

"Think about what? Replacing Wally for a bloodhound?" Artemis asked with a small smirk, walking into the cozy office with her respected case files. On time, prepared and sassy, what more could a partner in law ask for? "At least the dog would be able to smell out the criminals."

While Dick chuckled, Wally rolled his eyes, snipping back, "Yeah, yeah, you're funny, doll face." He added the last part just for her enjoyment, and from the small glare he got, it clearly worked.

"Cut it out, the both of you," Their boss spoke through his chortling. "We got an anonymous call not all of three minutes ago," he explained, turning to the blonde with a more serious expression.

She took her seat next to Wally, crossing one leg over the other as she leaned towards the desk. "About what? Cheshire?" A nod from both of them answered her question, "So what's the plan of action?"

"At the moment, there isn't one," Grayson told her, gauging her reaction.

"Why not?" The girl was quick to ask, "People have been dying to put her behind bars!"

"It's more complicated than just going in and catching her. You should know that by now, Miss Crock."

"And," Wally added sarcastically, clasping his hands loudly as he sat up straight. He resembled an irritated five-year old-whose fun had been spoiled, "it would have to be an undercover assignment. Meaning even more complications."

"Right you are," Dick said, pointing at him with his pencil. Neither Wally nor Artemis looked as pleased as their darker haired companion did, though.

Artemis was the one who took the bait first, "So we're just going to sit back and let her do whatever it is she's up to?"

"I'm not sure; hence the 'I'll think about' it part."

"Well," Artemis started again, "what _was_ the anonymous tip?" She asked, even though she knew exactly what that phone conversation entailed. It was about the Collared Heist, and what Cheshire and her goons were going to be up to that night. The anonymous caller had been her, not that Grayson nor West needed to know that.

Slowly pushing his chair away from the desk and standing up, Grayson began to explain, "It was about Mr. Wayne's grand masquerade party tonight, and exactly what Sportsmaster's and Cheshire's gangs will be doing there." He made his way to a small filing cabinet in the corner of the room. After digging through the lowest drawer for a minute, he produced a manila file. "This is a stunt they try to perform every few years, at various masquerade or costume events."

"So it's less likely for them to get caught," Artemis noted, making it sound like a wild guess instead of a sound fact she already knew.

Wally nodded, "Every time we catch whispers of them planning this project, we send out a small... very elite task force to take care of them. And uh," he began to continue, looking over at his boss awkwardly before turning back to his partner, "our unit has only been able to catch them, well, one of the gang members, once."

"Once? Out of all those times?" The blonde asked for effect. She knew all this, but they didn't know that. They didn't know that the only hoodlum caught in the Collared Heist had been her own mother. Then again, they would never _need_ to know that either.

Dick sighed exasperatedly, "Yes, but it's an extremely dangerous, and complex assignment. Very few people get the chance to be assigned this task."

"Dick got to go once," Wally interjected, a faraway grin plain on his face, "The stories only make me want to go more."

The darker haired man listened as his friend continued to tell Artemis about all the grand stories he had heard, and Dick let it go on for a few moments, reliving the mission through his own memories. It had been a good, but challenging, night. "It isn't what it's all cracked up to be," he finally stated, cutting Wally off to the ending of the tale, "but it was a lot of fun, even with the failures."

"Which is why," the redhead began anew, "we should be able to do it again!"

Artemis' eyebrows rose, "It sounds like a pretty coveted job."

"It is," both men said at the same time, Wally with his large grin, and Dick with his sigh.

The latter continued, "Look, I said I'd think about it, and I will. For now, both of you scram. I'm sure there's paper work that could be done somewhere.

"You know the plan?" Wally whispered, peeking around the corner from the hiding spot they had picked and into the empty hallway.

A loud scoff came from where his partner stood next to him in the dark, "of course I know the plan, West. You've only been batting it into my skull since we got the okay from Grayson on this shindig."

He was thanking the shadows surrounding him just then; the last thing he wanted, or needed for that matter, was for Artemis to start poking at him about the blush that was creeping onto his cheeks. "Yeah, yeah," he grumbled in attempts to hide his excitement. "I'm just happy we are getting a _real_ assignment for a change, and not some wild goose chase." At that the blonde hummed her agreement, clearly doubting his words. He still wasn't sure how she had gotten so sarcastic over the years, especially when she didn't even need words to convey it.

She was just as excited. Nervous, more than she had ever been before, but excited all the same. The plan Dick had proposed was clear. He was good friends with Mr. Wayne, and was already an invited guest at the party. The hard part would be getting his team in, do they job quickly _and_ quietly, and out again without being noticed by the guests. Wayne knew what was going on - the man wasn't stupid by any means - but his guests were of a certain variety, and would not exactly be pleased to find out what was going on in secret around them. Not to mention the extremely unwanted guests: Cheshire and her gang. For Wally, getting in, around them, and out would be a pinch. Only Cheshire and a few of her affiliates knew him. Artemis, on the other hand, was known by just about all the chumps that worked with and for her family. Even in a masquerade mask and dress, she knew it wouldn't be too hard from them to spot her.

And she still hadn't given her sister an answer as to where her alliances truly lied. Either they would all assume she was avoiding the heist altogether, secretly working with them - which wouldn't be too much of a shock to them, considering all of the other strange jobs they had worked - or full out turning on them. In that moment, Artemis wasn't sure what the scariest option was.

"You okay, Crock? You turned awfully silent fast." The question caught her off guard, making her blink a few times before she turned towards Wally.

"Fine," she stated, clearing her throat and allowing her eyes to dart back to the hallway that lead towards the party. "Just waiting for the -"

"Ladies and gentleman, now that we are all seated, I would like to formally welcome each of you to the annual Wayne masquerade! There should be enough food to feed three entire armies, plus drinks to last us months. In more frank words, don't be skimpy or shy; dance, party, and above all... Enjoy yourselves," Bruce Wayne's voice boomed over the crowd, applause following his greeting.

"Sign," Artemis finished, smoothing her green dress before stepping out of their hideout and into the narrow hallway. She slipped her silver mask over her eyes, "Good luck," she whispered over her shoulder, meeting Wally's green eyes before she slinked away towards the party. They were both going to need it.

Bruce's party was in full swing by the time Wally followed his partner's way out. Couples were dispersed over the dance floor, the music was loud, and colours exploded around him. From women's dresses, the spectrum of masks people wore, and the way the colours moved as they followed their wearers, it was hard to lay eyes on one single person.

The red mask he wore felt strange on the bridge of his nose, a feeling he wasn't quite used to; but it didn't bother him much, nothing could have in that moment. He was here, working his dream job with what some would call a dream team. He had a different opinion, not that it mattered. He was stuck with them, and would work with what he could.

Since the dance floor was full, Wally instead made his way to an empty table, and scanned the room from his chair. Dark hair, blue mask on the balcony, blonde hair, green dress and a silver mask on the dance floor. The latter of his two teammates seemed to be getting awfully cozy with a man Wally didn't recognize, with blonde hair so light it was almost white, and a light blue mask. It wasn't that he cared, no. Artemis was allowed to do whatever pleased her. Wally just hoped she wasn't getting distracted from the job.

Peeling his eyes away from the couple, he gazed at the prizes they were supposed to be protecting, the jewels of the ball some could call them. The late Mr. and Mrs. Wayne's jewelry and valued possessions. From Martha's ruby earrings, to Thomas' golden pocket watch, all of it was being displayed in the middle of the room as a memoir to their lives. Wally never understood it. Showing off those items felt as though Bruce was asking to be robbed from; not that Wally would dare to ever say anything like that to Mr. Wayne - no, he was far too intimidated by the man to say almost _anything_ to him.

Despite his attempts to ignore Artemis, he kept tabs on her out of the corner of his eye. She still seemed terribly distracted. He knew he shouldn't have cared, Wally had more important people to focus on than her and her dance partner - namely Cheshire and her possible partner-in-crime, Sportsmaster. At first, he had thought it would be easy to spot her with a pair of gams like that, but alas the girl had stumped him. Many females about the room had long dark hair, ruby lips, and a mask covering their faces. Perfect. But this was Wally's dream job, and he refused to fail.

_Just guess a girl, West! _He urged himself, frowning at each of the dark haired girls in front of him; four that he could see in sight, but only a single one had a cat inspired mask. It _had _to be her. Or at least, Wally was hoping it was her as he grabbed a drink from a passing waitress, and slowly made his way around the dance floor and towards her.

Before he had even managed to get close to her, she was gone, walking towards the balcony. _Not good, not good, West, never let them get to high ground. _"Where the hell is Grayson," he muttered, narrowing his eyes as he scanned the top of the balcony. Of course his friend had already seen exactly what he had, and met the girl on the steps. Wally watched as Dick, the gentleman he was, took the young girl's arm and lead her the rest of the way up. That meant only one thing: not Cheshire.

Which only posed the question where _was_ she? It wasn't her style to not have her presence known for very long. His next step was to find Artemis, if both he and Grayson had been unsuccessful in finding their feline friend so far, Wally was hoping she had better luck.

As he made his way back towards the dance floor, he saw she had moved, and was now sitting at an outskirt table with her former dance partner. Pushing his way through the couples that still occupied the floor, he got close enough to hear they were arguing and stopped dead. It hadn't occurred to him that Artemis may have known this man before the party, and he didn't feel like squeezing in on her personal life. He had trouble enough just dealing with her in her work life.

That left him dead out of options, for now.

"Looking for me, sugar?" The purr in his ear caught his attention, and his eyes widened as he reeled around. Before him stood the dame the three cops were looking for, black dress, pinned hair, red mask, and ruby painted lips to match. "Miss me?"

"Cheshire." He said simply, watching as the lights flashed off her sequined mask and steely eyes.

The smirk pulling at her red lips made his blood curdle, the mock curtsy she displayed worsening his anxious feeling, "In the flesh."

"Well, you made things a hell of a lot more easier than we ever expected," He continued, doing his best to try and distract her as he thought of a plan to inconspicuously contact Artemis and Dick. Nothing was ever easy with this girl.

She 'tsked' loudly, "Did I? Shame, I was hoping we could have a little..." the catlike tone paused, a single black nail running down Wally's shoulder, "_fun._"

"Not on my life," Wally snarled in return, but didn't pull away. He couldn't turn this into a spectacle, not with so many people around.

"Pity," the girl in front of him cooed, eyes gazing lazily about, "in that case, how about we strike a deal?"

That caught his attention. "A deal?" The redhead repeated, brows furrowing in thought, "What kind of deal are you talking about?"

Ruby lips pursed, and grey eyes still scanning the room around them, Cheshire took a minute to answer, "Look," she started, seeming to regain focus of the man in front of her, "considering I steal for a living, it may not look like I'm well off... financially. Lately, I've been quite lucky in that area."

"Your point?"

"Point being, is that I really don't need these... monuments and valuables of Mr. Wayne's. In reality, you could say I'm just about here to help an old friend," She explained as though it was the simplest thing in the world. "So, I'm willing to corporate with you, strike a deal as I said."

Wally mulled the idea over, "You're a wanted con." He said, green eyes narrowing at the girl in front of him. "How do we know you aren't lying?"

"Girls word."

Teeth gritting together, he looked for Artemis again, still with her back to him and talking with the man across from her. Blondie out. Then, he scouted for Dick. He was out too, speaking with Bruce, and the pretty girl still stuck to his arm. Damn it. This was going to have to be Wally's decision. _His _decision - without Dick, without the team, without Artemis, without any guidance what so ever. "Girls word?" He finally said, taking a step towards the hallway not far from the edge of the room.

"Exactly," She drawled, barely moving to follow him.

Wally's forehead creased, "If you try anything funny.."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

"This way," he spat, finding no way to get out of this without making a scene in front of the party-goers. Patting his suit jacket, he double checked he had the gun sitting in the pocket. That hardly made him feel better, but it was the best he was going to be able to do in a pinch. He lead her towards a small hallway off of the ballroom, leading her to a small office he knew Bruce left unlocked. Like the gentleman Wally was, he held the door open for her, "Ladies first."

Cheshire smiled at him as she walked by and into the room, "How kind."

"So this deal..."

"It's really rather simple," She mused, moving about the room until her fingers were dragging themselves across the desk. Though her words stop, she continued to travel about, her fingertips running across the papers strewn across the table top, pushing them aside gingerly. Once she cleared the corner of all its papers, she lifted herself up, sitting on the desk and crossing her legs daintily.

He carefully took a step forward, "Go on."

The bang behind him and catlike grin was all he needed.

"Arty, this ain't your best idea, doll."

Artemis scoffed in the boys face, "and you think I care what _you _think, Cameron?" Their bickering subsided as the music grew a notch louder.

"No," he mumbled, swaying to the tune to keep the appearance that they were there just to dance as everyone else was, "you never have."

"And why should now be any different?" She demanded, spinning and twirling as she followed his lead.

He sighed through his nose, "It shouldn't be."

"Exactly," she snarled, twisting away from him, before dancing back and clasping her hand in his once more.

Artemis hadn't expected a response, so she was surprised when he spoke, "But it _is_ different, Artemis."

The music stopped suddenly and she caught herself on his arm, "Different how?" Sure, this was the time she chose to go directly against her past - against her old family, friends, and allies, but she had defied and left them long before. "I know how the Heist works, Cam," she continued, her one hand still in his, and the other firmly on his shoulder. "If this was a bad idea for anyone, it was you and the gang."

"You don't get it," Cameron warned through clenched teeth. He wanted to tell her, tell this was a fight she wouldn't - couldn't - win; but he kept his mouth shut. It was part of his job. "Come on," he mumbled, letting go, and moving towards a table off to the side, "I'll try and explain."

Her eyes narrowed as she cautiously walked after him, taking a seat facing her old friend, "Spill, Cam."

"Not yet," his attitude confused her, they weren't close -not anymore by any means - but she thought he would help her, all the two had ever talked about as kids was leaving the life. The life of a gang member, it was one they were both thrusted into, and one neither of them had wanted. "It's not the right time," Cameron added, waving down a waitress and grabbing two drinks, "drink with me for a while."

"Camer-"

"Just a drink or two," he cut her off, sliding the drink across the table to her. "For old times' sake?"

That broke her will, "For old times' sake."

The two lifted the drinks to their lips in silence, Cameron staring at the blonde across from him as she surveyed the room.

Something wasn't right, that was what she gathered as she took in the grand party before her. Dick was up on the balcony, a dark haired girl she didn't recognize on his arm. Wally wasn't anywhere in sight - that was what unnerved her.

"So, no more journalism?" Cameron cut into her through process, forcing her eyes to return to him as he nursed his drink.

Artemis' eyebrows knitted together in annoyance, "You're changing the topic."

Cam's trade mark grin speadacross his lips, "It's my specialty. You should know that."

A laugh trilled from her lips, "Divide and dis-" Artemis stopped short, her eyes widening as she remembered something her father had told her years ago,

_Cameron? No, baby girl. That boy won't amount to nothing. He's only good for one thing: distractions._

Cameron's grin faltered as he recognized the rage creeping on to Artemis' face, "'Mis, you don-"

"Where's my partner?" She demanded, pushing away from the table. She accidentally knocked her chair over, gaining curios glances from those around them. Not good, a scene was _not_ good.

"Calm down, 'Mis," Cam mumbled, raising his hands in surrender as he stood, "I tried to warn you. You didn't listen."

"Where. Is. He?!" Artemis spat, finger inching towards the gun she had strapped to the inside of her leg. Oh, did she wish she had her bow. Her and Cam weren't close - not anymore, by any means - but she had never dreamt he would pull a stunt like this. How could she be so _stupid_. "Where, Cam?" She snarled, more eyes turning to them around the room. She absently saw Dick's attention switch from Bruce to them. How did this go so wrong so fast?

Before Cameron could answer there was a loud yell and collective gasp from the group. The crowd had been so caught up in the scene Artemis had started, that the attention on the Wayne's prized possessions had wavered. And now those possessions were gone.

_Stupid! How could I be so stupid?! _

A weak laugh left her lips as the crowd began to panic around them, "My dad was wrong about you. You're the con man."

"Artemis I-" his words died on his lips as the blonde girl pushed her way through the crowd and towards Grayson.

"What happened?" Dick growled under his breath, eyes wide and darting around as Bruce did his best to do crowd control.

The girl next to him as breathing heavy through her nose, "They tricked me," Artemis spat back, glaring as she saw someone here or there escape and slip of out the room. Her stormy eyes landed on white blonde hair as the boy glanced back and darted out the closest door. "Cameron duked me."

"Who?!"

Artemis turned, "Nevermind. Where's West?"

"Was just going to ask you the same thing," Dick said, eyes narrowing calculatingly at her as she continued to look about, "tricked you?" He asked, trying to change the topic back.

"Let's find him then," She said, avoiding his question easily. Without even checking to see if her boss was following, Artemis began to walk to one of the hallways.

Wally had known this was a bad idea. He had known from the get-go he shouldn't have allowed Cheshire the upper hand.

Yet, here he was. Pretty girl grinning down at him, a gun (his gun!) at his head, and her knife at his neck. Her goons had come through the door behind him, the six of them knocking him down easily and they were now fastening him down to the chair that sat behind Bruce's desk.

"Careful, sweets, it's best to stay still," The dark haired girl murmured, eyes flashing like a cat.

"I suggest _you_ be careful," Wally bit back bravely, "my partners will be here any minute!"

"Ah, yes, handsome Grayson and little Artemis," she cooed, checking the ropes against his wrist. It didn't escape him that she pulled at the rope a little _too_ tightly at the mention of the blonde.

"They'll be here any minute," he repeated, but they both knew he was lying through his teeth.

"No, sugar, they're a little tied up right now - though not as tied as _some_," she mused, cackling at her own joke.

Wally had run out of comebacks, which was rather rare, and instead settled on glaring at her as she secured, checked, and doubled checked all the knots.

"Little Arty will regret ever leaving," she whispered while leaning over him, as if she were merely thinking aloud, but nothing was that simple her. Wally knew that.

What he _didn't_ know was what the Hell she was talking about, "leaving what?" he asked, clearly bitting her bait since her grin only seemed to grow at that.

"Oh, she never told you?" Cheshire questioned, her face one of mock shock, "my, my, my, and I was always under the impression that you police type were close to one another. You know, undying trust and know everything about each other," her laugh sounded, "looks as though I was wrong."

This conversation was only causing Wally more confusion every second, "What _are_ you blabbering about?" Sure, he and Artemis didn't know _everything_ about each other, but Wally felt confident that he had the girl pinned.

"Artemis, and you not knowing a single spec about her past."

The redhead opened his mouth to argue, but stopped himself. She was right. He hadn't a single clue where his partner had come from, what life she lead before now.

"To answer your question more specifically, I was talking of Artemis leaving her life of crime, "The girl had said this so nonchalantly that Wally had to replay the phrase a few times before its meaning finally sank in. She _had_ to be lying.

"You can't prove that," he said simply, voice unsure as he challenged her.

"Perhaps not, but," she stated, leaning forward and tying a piece of fabric over his mouth, "I know my little sister almost as well as I know myself." Cheshire whispered in his ear, the corner of her grin brushing his cheek as she pulled back to wink at him. Suddenly, everything began to make sense to Wally - the conversation between the two girls at the bank, the missing link in the case files... This mission was a failure before it had even begun.

"I hate to leave you at such a climatic point in our conversation, but by the sounds of things, my cue is on the way," Cheshire claimed, the henchman slowly exiting one after another as she sauntered to the door, "I wouldn't expect a rescue anytime soon. My sister is... catching up with an old friend. I'm really quite surprised she fell for the oldest trick in our family book, but, ah c'est la vie! Maybe I'll send her man friend in to tell you all the easy and gory details. Toodles!" And with a slam of the door, Wally was left alone.

_This_ was why he worked solo.

The picture Artemis and Dick found after clearing the party would have been hilarious, had it been under any other circumstance. As it was, neither of them were laughing when they found Wally, strapped to a chair, two knives pinning his shoulders, and a piece of ripped fabric tied across his mouth.

The moment they walked in, his eyes popped open and he was glaring, trying to yell at them through the gag.

"Calm down, West," Artemis chastised, untying the gag, while Dick went to work on the ropes ensnaring his arms.

"Calm down?! Calm down?! I will _not_ calm down!" Wally yelled, earning an eye roll from both of his fellow cops, "not after tonight. Stop touching me!"

Artemis blinked then, noticing he was glaring directly at her as she held his should down to pull the knife from the fabric, "I know you're pissy but, yeesh at least let m-"

"No," Wally cut her off easily, grabbing the weapon himself once his wrist was free, "You're a lying traitor. This whole thing - the failure - it's all _your_ fault."

Dick frowned, "Wally, st-"

"You're her sister - _their_ friend, you've been playing us! Haven't you1?"

She felt her jaw slackened, "What are you talking about?" She asked quietly, her voice more unsure than either men had ever heard it before.

Wally scoffed in her face then, making her eyes narrow at him, "You know exactly what I'm talking about, Crock," he sneered.

Artemis' stomach dropped. He _knew_. There was no reason to play stupid. They both knew she was just as smart as he or Grayson. But he had the wrong idea.

"It's not the way you think," she spat back, hands curling into fists at her sides. "I was trying - I am trying to leave that life behind me."

"And yet your sister and I think you fell for their plan a little too quickly. How did she say your man friend said it? Ah, that's right - Easy as pie." Wally had taken a step away from his chair, and was towering over the shorter blonde, but she refused to back down, and held her ground.

"You know _nothing,_" She growled, her lip curling up over her teeth.

Before Wally could get another word in, or Artemis threw a punch, Dick finally stepped in, roughly pushing to two of them apart, "Enough. It doesn't matter whose fault it is. What matters is that we failed, and we need to come up with a plan to return what was stolen by Cheshire."

"I told you putting me with a partner was a bad idea," Wally mumbled under his breath, averting his eyes from the two in front of him and pouting like a child.

It broke the last straw Artemis had, "You know what, Wallace? Fine. You don't have a partner anymore."

That caught both men's attentions.

"Artemis, do not listen to him. He's hot headed and angry, it wasn't your-"

"It was my fault, Dick." She cut off, turning her narrowed stormy eyes to his, "Maybe accidentally my fault, but still. Just maybe Wally was right - I don't have what it takes to be a cop." Her eyes tore away from Grayson then to send bullets towards the red haired man instead, "Guess you got your wish after all. I'm resigning." Artemis stated easily, throwing her borrowed gun onto the desk before storming out of the room.

The two were left blinking in silence.

"Nice going, West."

To say the ride back to the station was tense would be the understatement of the decade. Never had Wally sat so long in silence next to his best friend. However, both of them were fuming, and both for similar and very different reasons.

After awhile - Wally could _not_ take it any longer, "Look, Grayson, I know tonight was a disaster, but it wasn't any worse than our paste failure. Remember hearing about the Wayne party way back when? At least we weren't the cops who were in charge when... Well when the late Mr. and Mrs. Wayne were, uh, shot."

"That's not the point Wally!" Dick's grip on the steering wheel tightened. He hadn't meant to yell, but this was one of their biggest goofs since he'd been placed in charge. The big man was not going to be happy. "The point is, we messed up. Bruce's parents' prized possessions are gone, we caused the biggest scene Gotham has seen at one of its elite parties in years, and to top it all off? We lost one of our best officers!"

Wally huffed loudly, arms crossing over his chest, "S'not my fault. That girl was a lying traitor! She didn't even tell-"

"I knew."

The redhead stopped as Dick cut him off, eyes widening in shock before narrowing, "What do you mean... You knew?"

Dick scoffed, pulling into the station before parking, "The moment she came looking for a job I knew." he said, not saying much more to explain himself. He turned to Wally, gauging his reaction before continuing, "She doesn't know I knew the entire time, but I did. That was why I gave her the damn job in the first place. That, and the big man recommended her."

"Batman himself recommended her?" Wally repeated disbelievingly, "Doubtful."

"Don't be so sure. Miss Crock has been part of this life almost as long, if not longer than you." Dick told him easily, sliding out of the squad car and slamming the door.

"Again, doubtful," Wally grumbled, stepping out of the car and following the other man. There was no way _Batman_ recommended a criminal - a wanted con - to join their police force. And there was no way she had been in this life - this crazy life of cops and robbers - longer than he had.

"Believe what you will, West," Grayson threw back easily, leading the way into the darkened station, "But either way you're out of a partner - and your probation period just got a hell of a lot longer.

"Perfect."

The last thing Artemis wanted to do the morning after the heist was go to the station. She had no desire to see Dick's disappointed expression, or Kaldur's looks of pity, and Wally's smug, cocky look? Artemis swore she could do away without seeing that look for the rest of her life. Yet still, there she was - in the same outfit she was wearing her first day - standing out front of the station, her official letter of resignation in her hand, and a small box to take her things home in the other.

She didn't move to go through, "C'mon, Artemis you're a strong, smart woman. You can face a couple of men."

"Talking up the courage to go to work, my friend?" Artemis jumped around at the voice and was met with a smiling Kaldur. At least he was a lesser of the three evils. He frowned at the items in her hand, "Are you resigning/"

Artemis felt her lip curl, "Something like that." Clearly, Kaldur had not yet heard of what happened the previous night.

Without another word from either of them, Kaldur grabbed the box from under her arm, "Allow me to assist you."

Had it been any other officer - or any other man for that matter- Artemis would have snatched the box back and demanded to be able to do it herself. But this was Kal, and she knew he was doing it because they were friends - and maybe a friend was what she needed just then.

"Thank you," she said politely, reaching to open the door and allowing him through.

It had been just shy of three months since Artemis had stated at the station, but she had already gotten a tiny desk pushed next to her partners. Something that took some people years to get. There wasn't much on the desk at all, especially when compared to those around hers. She had a small type writer, a plaque that displayed her journalism degree, and a stack of case files.

No pictures, no small trinkets, or even a name plate.

Kaldur noticed right away, "You do not have much to pack," he said cautiously, moving the type writer into the box for her while she rummaged through the almost empty drawers.

"I travel light," She tried for a joke, pulling out a few objects she deemed salvageable. "There isn't much for me to put on my desk."

Kaldur nodded, watching as she stuffed away her things into the small box, "Is there no way I might convince you to stay and keep your job, Artemis?"

Another thing she loved about Kaldur was that he had no need for formalities, or pet names. They were equals, and he treated her as such.

"No," she answered easily, closing the box before picking her letter up from the desk, "I, uh, I've already to go back to journalism. Less dangerous work, much more appropriate for a lady."

Kaldur's smile returned then, "I thought you didn't mind the danger?"

A scoff let her lips then. She wasn't surprised that that was the part of her comment he threw back at her, "Yeah, well we'll see what happens, won't we?" She moved towards Grayson's office then. "Hey Kaldur? Uh, thanks for everything."

While the 'thank you' was very general, Kaldur seemed to understand, "Good luck, my friend."

Artemis nodded with a small smile of her own before walking away to hand in her letter of resignation.

The next few days at the station were interesting to say the least. Wally had been stuck with paper work and answering telegrams, while Dick, Kaldur, and the rest of the officers dealt with the after math of My. Wayne's disaster of a party.

To say Wally was bored would be redundant.

Paperwork and case file work was one thing - writing out case notes and recalling details - but _filing_ papers and folders into their proper drawers and cabinets? Stupidly boring. And Grayson knew that - which was exactly the reason why he placed Wally in charge of filing _every ones' _assignments.

"Here's a new batch for you, West. This should be the last for awhile," Dick said, plopping a brand new stack of folders on the other man's desk. He at least looked more sympathetic this time around.

Grumbling, Wally pushed the stack to the side, rubbing his eyes before looking up at his friend, "For awhile? Grayson, c'mon! I'm going to go stark mad in this rat hole."

"My station is not a rat hole," the dark haired man jumped to defend the building. A small smile was playing on his face soon after, "You're on probation, at least you aren't on janitorial duty. It isn't that bad, West. Look, we can even go get a glass later - Hell, I might even p-"

"Cheshire called?" Wally asked, cutting the man off. While Dick was rambling on, Wally had grabbed the top file on his new pile, the newest one - and recognized right away it was _the_ case file - the one for Cheshire's newest heist.

Dick's smile faltered, "She did. Last night. We only spoke a moment."

"What did she say?"

A sigh left his lips then, the smile now completely erased from Dick's face, "We talked about the Wayne treasures she took."

"She offer a way to get 'em back?" Wally jumped, snatching onto the opportunity to have another go at their feline fiend.

Grayson paused, clearly thinking hard about the words he would utter next. "She did," he spoke with a very cautious tone, "but, _no, _we are not going to listen to her."

A beat of silence passed between the two, "So Batman is going to deal with her?"

"No," Dick muttered through clenched teeth, "no one is going to."

Wally's jaw dropped audibly, "We're just going to let her go?" He demanded, voice rising in volume quickly.

"For right now - yes," Dick growled. He hate this solution as much as Wally did, but there wasn't much he could do about it. "In the past few months either Cheshire has gotten stronger, or we have gotten weaker. Perhaps even a mix of both. So until those stakes change to our favour, we leave that dame and her cons alone. We are not in a position to be challenging her. We have no idea what they have planned. Therefore, no cop will be chasing her tail anytime soon."

The pointed look Grayson gave Wally made him realize he was one of the only officers to be receiving this speech. Wally wasn't sure if he should have felt flattered or not. "We cannot let her win," He snapped back. Thousands of thoughts were racing through Wally's head then; revenge at the very top.

Cheshire had made a fool of him, on numerous occasions, and it was far past time that she should go behind bars. Wally recognized this, but also knew it would be hard, if not impossible, to get Grayson on board to any of his plans.

"No cop?" Wally repeated, tapping his fingers against the desk. Not from this station, and not on my watch." Dick confirmed seriously. "Now," he added, "you can finish those files in the morning, how's about we get those drinks I was talking about now? My treat."

Wally stood, placing his hat on his head as he gathered files and papers, "I, uh, will have to pass. I already have... past engagements." He mumbled, saying a quick good bye before walking away to go and prepare his letter of resignation.

Dick would be a damned liar if he claimed to be surprised by the letter that was now sitting open on his desk. He knew the moment he told Wally about Cheshire, he would go after her - he had just been hoping he was wrong.

It hadn't been long since the last time they heard from the redhead, a day or two tops, but that didn't mean Grayson wasn't worried about his closest friend. This all might have just shaken up to be coincidence, but by a rule... Dick couldn't afford to believe in those anymore - not in his line of work.

Which didn't leave many options as to where Wally could be. Going after Cheshire? More than likely, but even then he would have bugged Grayson by now. It wasn't like Wally to stay out of anyone's hair for too long. Captured by Cheshire was more like it. Everyone knew her call was just a setup, an ambush, and still Wally had to go for it.

"Dick?"

Dick had gotten so deep into thought that he hadn't even heard the knock on the door until Kaldur's head was poking into his office, "Uh, hey Kal, come on in."

The darker man listened, stepping into the office and closing the door behind him, "Still no sign of Wally."

"Figures," Dick grumbled, drumming his fingers across the desk. "What now?"

Kaldur moved to sit across from him, "I suppose we do our best to get him back. Which would mean-"

"Getting the best of the best," the other cop finished, raising a brow.

"Exactly."

Dick nodded slowly, "We'll wait another day or two. For all we know he could just be off sulking somewhere like a big sap."

"This is true," Kaldur said, not doing much to hide the laugh that escaped him.

Grayson grinned slightly before turning serious again, "Don't you miss it?"

"Miss what?"

"Leading this, us, our team?"

Kaldur nodded slowly, "Sometimes, I do miss it. Other times I am quite ecstatic to not have to deal with the dramatics of running a station. I lived that life once, and... we had a great team."

"We did," Dick agreed, his eyes wandering to the phone that sat across the room, "I think it's time to get the gang back together." He mused quietly, eyes narrowing in thought.

Though he had attempted to hide it, Kaldur's enthusiasm took over his face, "I feel like that is a wise choice, and will help in our aid to find Wally."

Dick's cheeky grin returned then, "Well. I guess it's time I make a few calls then." He said, standing and making his way to the large telephone.

Once through the operator and connected to the line, he listened for the familiar trilling voice, "Hello, Miss Zatanna Zatara speaking on Mr. Giovanni's behalf, how may I help you?"

"So formal, and yet so unlike you," Dick chimed quickly, smirking as he heard the scoff on the other end of the line.

"Allow me to guess that I am talking to none other than the famous Officer Dick Grayson?"

Dick's laugh was loud as he listened to the girl, "Look at that, even has my voice memorized. So Zee, I, uh, need a favour."

"Artemis?"

The girl frowned into the phone that she had been beckoned to, "Dick, what is it? I'm a little tied up right now."

"So I heard," his voice chimed simply, not saying anything to continue.

The blonde sighed inwardly, and had to squeeze her eyes shut so she wouldn't lose her temper, "I'm working, Grayson."

"Back to journalism?" Why was he always strict and to the point?

"Yes," Artemis growled into the phone, "and I'm working on quite the case, a real catch, so if you'll ex-"

"Wally's missin'."

That caught her off guard, "_What?_"

Her old boss cleared his throat before explaining, "After you quit and stormed out, he had a small punch to his ego, so to speak. To fix it he decided to go after Cheshire on his own, and, uh well," he stopped for a minute, trying to find the best phrasing, "he hasn't been to the station in a few days now. He could just be pouting somewhere, but-"

"He could also be with Cheshire," she finished for him, her fingers pinching the bridge of her nose.

"You got it. So this is where you come in."

Artemis shook her head quickly, almost forgetting he couldn't see her, "No way. Not after he accused me for _everything_."

"Artemis, please, it won't just be you. It wouldn't be enough," Dick explained, and she could hear him drumming his fingers against his desk, "It would be you and... what you could call a small elite team. Just five of us... plus you. I... Artemis I don't think we could do this job without you."

"Even if it's my sister who has him?"

"_Especially_ since it's your family," he answered matter-of-factly. "We need _your _help. I understand Wally and you aren't the best of pals, but it would mean a lot to a bunch of us to have him back. If you'll help us-"

"Big if."

"- meet us at the pub on fifty-fourth street, eleven tomorrow morning, before they start serving customers."

Another huff came from her, "I'll think about it."

"That's all I ask," Dick said, and an audible click was heard on the phone as Artemis continued to grip the receiver in her hand.


End file.
